John Gartner, Ph.D., is a psychologist who taught at Johns Hopkins University Medical School for 28 years.
He says :
“Trump suffers from malignant narcissism, a diagnosis [that is] far more toxic and dangerous than mere narcissistic personality disorder because it combines narcissism with three other severely pathological components: paranoia, sociopathy, and sadism. When combined, this perfect storm of psychopathology defines the ‘quintessence of evil,’ according to Fromm, the closest thing psychiatry has to describing a true human monster.”
Gartner goes on to describe Trump’s narcissism (he knows “more about everything than anyone” and “has empathy for no one but himself”); paranoia (“his demonization of the press, minorities, immigrants, and anyone who disagrees with him, are all signs of paranoia”); sociopathy (“a diagnosis that describes people who constantly lie, violate norms and laws, exploits other people, and show no remorse”); and sadism (“He takes gleeful pleasure in harming and humiliating other people. He is undoubtedly the most prolific cyberbully in history.”).
On the other hand, the psychiatrist who wrote the diagnostic criteria for personality disorders , Allen Frances, said “No.”
This does not mean that he finds the president’s behavior to be okay. “Psychiatric name-calling is a misguided way of countering Mr. Trump’s attack on democracy. He can, and should, be appropriately denounced for his ignorance, incompetence, impulsivity, and pursuit of dictatorial powers.”10 In other words, his behavior may be bad, but that does not mean that he’s mentally ill.
What Can We Expect?
The benefit of seeing personality patterns of behavior is the ability to predict future behavior and make decisions about what we should do individually or jointly. This ability to understand personalities and predict their future behavior is important in all relationships, from romantic to the workplace, to electing leaders. I call this personality awareness.
If the president has malignant narcissism, then we can expect that he will become more and more isolated, his behavior will become more and more paranoid, and therefore more and more dangerous. If he does not have malignant narcissism and doesn’t even have a personality disorder of any type, as Frances has explained, it is still possible that he will pursue dictatorial powers but may be more stable and less dangerous.
Malignant Narcissism: Does the President Really Have It? | Psychology Today
He says :
“Trump suffers from malignant narcissism, a diagnosis [that is] far more toxic and dangerous than mere narcissistic personality disorder because it combines narcissism with three other severely pathological components: paranoia, sociopathy, and sadism. When combined, this perfect storm of psychopathology defines the ‘quintessence of evil,’ according to Fromm, the closest thing psychiatry has to describing a true human monster.”
Gartner goes on to describe Trump’s narcissism (he knows “more about everything than anyone” and “has empathy for no one but himself”); paranoia (“his demonization of the press, minorities, immigrants, and anyone who disagrees with him, are all signs of paranoia”); sociopathy (“a diagnosis that describes people who constantly lie, violate norms and laws, exploits other people, and show no remorse”); and sadism (“He takes gleeful pleasure in harming and humiliating other people. He is undoubtedly the most prolific cyberbully in history.”).
On the other hand, the psychiatrist who wrote the diagnostic criteria for personality disorders , Allen Frances, said “No.”
He went on to explain that he does not show the distress one typically has with this disorder and that he has been quite successful at making money and getting elected President, so you can’t say that he’s socially “impaired.”
This does not mean that he finds the president’s behavior to be okay. “Psychiatric name-calling is a misguided way of countering Mr. Trump’s attack on democracy. He can, and should, be appropriately denounced for his ignorance, incompetence, impulsivity, and pursuit of dictatorial powers.”10 In other words, his behavior may be bad, but that does not mean that he’s mentally ill.
What Can We Expect?
The benefit of seeing personality patterns of behavior is the ability to predict future behavior and make decisions about what we should do individually or jointly. This ability to understand personalities and predict their future behavior is important in all relationships, from romantic to the workplace, to electing leaders. I call this personality awareness.
If the president has malignant narcissism, then we can expect that he will become more and more isolated, his behavior will become more and more paranoid, and therefore more and more dangerous. If he does not have malignant narcissism and doesn’t even have a personality disorder of any type, as Frances has explained, it is still possible that he will pursue dictatorial powers but may be more stable and less dangerous.
Malignant Narcissism: Does the President Really Have It? | Psychology Today
